UAPremierGuy

I put my bag there and don't feel I should have to ask for permission. First come, first serve. As others said, it frees up overhead bin space and I need to get to my bag during the flight easily as I am almost always in the window.

ijgordon

Well, now you're just encouraging gate lice.

beachfan

Assuming we are talking about F, why is it different from the other underseat space in front of your seat? Is all underseat space first come first serve? The space being taken is clearly in front of someone else's seat.

Fraser

Well, the way this person has chosen to orientate the bag means it is slightly encroaching into the neighbour's seat space. However, I put it in length ways rather than side ways and so it clearly isn't in someone else's seat/leg area. By the nature of the seat design that sits under the drinks table armrest area, it's a no man's land and it doesn't necessarily belong to either person.

Both aisle and window seat passenger have the same amount of legroom and leg space and the way I position the bag means nobody loses out on anything, that's unless you want to splay your legs out across a much wider space which is something I've never seen anyone do in narrowbody F!

I think by now across the hundreds of flights that I've done this nobody has one whinged about it and if this was remotely contentious. I can't even do it on the newer A320 family seats because the plastic portion comes down too far. I'll take a photo on my next 738 flight on Monday so we can restart the debate then on that a/c type

pkfinman

It is very interesting to read these comments... IMO they very much line up with what you see on a plane... some people just don't care about how the other person may feel.... (first come ,first served)...others go out of there way to be polite... I agree with the stance on if you have the window seat you should put it in front of you vs taking up the aisle persons leg space...

but to each his own... as I see on flights every week...

MSPeconomist

Some people do this because they want to be able to see their belongings during the flight. It makes it much less likely that someone could steal something during the flight.

apeortdz

I agree with this.

869

Sometimes I take that space for my computer bag because I don't like to put it in the OH bin only to see multiple people who just take it upon themselves to move my bag to make room for their own oversize bag that won't fit unless they jam it in 4-5 times.

The easy thing to do when you do use this space with a bag like the one in the photo is to just move it after takeoff to sit upright behind your feet. Now the space is open and you can access your bag at will. Problem solved.

CPRich

The phrase "middle seat" exists nowhere in my post. Do you not think there is a middle space in the picture? There's space on one side, space on the other side, what do you call the space in the, ummm..., between the two other spaces?

My question stands - with no middle seat, did OP somehow reserve the middle, ummm...., "luggage storage cubby" that he should be offended that someone else is using it?

869

I laughed when I read your post and then half a second later received an outlook alert pop-up from an email titled "We will never forget." It's a 9/11 email that starts out "On this day..."

Robertsonland

Certainly never thought of this. I guess I'm alert if someone is rummaging around right above me as well but they could get a pair of my socks when I wasn't looking. Good to know that may be why they do it.

PHLGovFlyer

I get that. However, if it comes down to a pax wanting to see their belongings in the "middle space" versus me having room for my feet/legs under the potion of the middle space that's in front of my seat, that pax would be using the space in front of their seat for their belongings.

golfmad

Yes, that's unacceptable. I'd request the guy to shift it. I'm an easy going person but that's partly in the space I need for one of my feet in F given that my laptop bag will be directly under the seat in front of me.

LtKernelPanic

This is how I viewed it the few times I've put my small camera bag there. If asked politely I'd certainly move it. Be a jerk about it and it almost certainly stays there.

Fraser

Well, after writing this a few days I took my first flight where someone asked me to move my bag

I was in 4F on a 738 and was amongst the first onboard so put my bag in the no mans land. When I came back from the toilet the guy told me to put my bag (regular Tumi over the shoulder) under the seat in front of me. Based on the tone of his request I told him I wasn't going to do that (it was certainly not intruding in his foot area) and he "offered" to put the bag in the overhead. I told him I wanted the bag because there were items I needed during the flight. I did stand the bag up (which it could just about manage) to mildly placate him.

He had a small backpack that he put under the seat in front but on the aisle side then sat with his legs at an angle the whole time in an effort to "claim" as much space as he could. People are weird.